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CLT UPDATE
Monday, November 17, 2914
Thank you; and Grad Tax
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Less than 24 hours after volunteering that she is
exploring ways to move Massachusetts from a flat to a graduated
income tax structure, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha
Coakley emphasized that she hopes taxes will go down in
Massachusetts if she's elected governor.
The attorney general, who is tied in polls with
Republican Charlie Baker, said in a one-on-one debate at WGBH
Tuesday night that, "We are exploring ways to do a more graduated
income tax."...
Massachusetts voters over the years, most
recently in 1994, have consistently rejected constitutional
amendments calling for a graduated income tax. Democratic leaders in
recent years have been reluctant to go down that path again, even
though Gov. Deval Patrick and others have expressed interest, if not
outright support, for the concept as a way to improve the "fairness"
of the tax code, which they say regressively hits lower-income
earners disproportionately compared to high wage earners.
Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, a proponent of the
graduated income tax, is poised to be elected the next Senate
president in January. "I will be discussing it with my colleagues,"
Rosenberg told the News Service in March after a special Tax
Fairness Commission, co-chaired by Rep. Jay Kaufman and Sen. Michael
Rodrigues, included the graduated income tax among its
recommendations.
"I said I'm not going to raise taxes and I meant
it," Baker told reporters Wednesday afternoon after emerging from a
meeting with mayors around the state on Beacon Hill. Baker described
the graduated income tax as "something the voters of Massachusetts
have rejected soundly at the ballot box several times over the
course of the past 20 or 30 years."...
"If you're trying to create jobs it doesn't make
sense to give opened-ended authority to the legislature to raise
taxes on higher income individuals," said Massachusetts Taxpayers
Foundation President Michael Widmer.
Widmer and MTF have been longtime opponents of
the graduated income tax system....
Barbara Anderson of Citizens for
Limited Taxation agreed with Widmer, one of her longtime
ideological sparring partners.
"Since our state constitution allows only a flat
rate income tax, those who want a graduated income tax must place
this proposal on the statewide ballot for a constitutional change by
voters. This change would take at least four years. So far, voters
have said 'no' five times. So, Coakley using the grad tax as a
possible funding mechanism for her new programs is just rhetoric.
She doesn't know what else to say when asked about new taxes," said
Anderson.
In 1994 Anderson was the face of the successful
effort that beat back the last attempt to institute a state
graduated income tax. Anderson, along with allies from Massachusetts
High Tech Council and the MTF representing the Boston business
community, defeated what was then known as Question 6 by more than
800,000 votes.
The Springfield Republican
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Martha Coakley's comments on graduated income tax
criticized by taxpayer watchdogs
By Garrett Quinn
Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, a proponent of the
graduated income tax, is poised to be elected the next Senate
president in January. "I will be discussing it with my colleagues,"
Rosenberg told the News Service in March after a special Tax
Fairness Commission, co-chaired by Rep. Jay Kaufman and Sen. Michael
Rodrigues, included the graduated income tax among its
recommendations.
"I said I'm not going to raise taxes and I meant
it," Baker told reporters Wednesday afternoon after emerging from a
meeting with mayors around the state on Beacon Hill. Baker described
the graduated income tax as "something the voters of Massachusetts
have rejected soundly at the ballot box several times over the
course of the past 20 or 30 years."
State House News Service
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Coakley hedges exploration of income tax change
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Chip Ford's CLT
Commentary
First, before we go any further, thank you to
those who made quick donations to CLT. They have permitted us
to pay for the belated fall mailing postage cost
it will go out and may keep CLT alive
for a few months more.
When the returns come in from that mailing, I
will do a long overdue triage of the mailing list; removing those
who are clingers and non-members for years.
Many who are still carried by our members will be
deleted including you who are still
receiving these CLT Updates. You who shouldn't be receiving
them will get one last chance to become part of your own salvation
Then you'll be gone, destined to be shunted back to the "Uninformed
Voters" category. Your call.
CLT which had done
so much over the decades for taxpayers is
still working for you.
Who else is?
Now we have ANOTHER
Graduated Income Tax coming (Grad Tax). It would separate us
one tax bracket at a time, virtually impossible to build enough
resistance in each case to oppose.
Do you want to go there?
Taxpayers in the past have understood this, have been smart enough
to vote against it.
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Chip Ford |
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The Springfield Republican
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Martha Coakley's comments on graduated income tax criticized by
taxpayer watchdogs
By Garrett Quinn
BOSTON Recent comments on the graduated income tax by Democratic
gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley brought the often
controversial tax proposal back into the Massachusetts political
conversation this week.
Coakley's comments during the joint WGBH/Boston Globe debate about
her openness to implementing a graduated income tax system in order
to raise state revenues without burdening the middle class was
quickly pounced on by her Republican opponent Charlie Baker and
taxpayer advocates.
"We are exploring ways to do a more graduated income tax," said
Coakley while answering a question about how she could raise
revenues by taxing the top two percent of income earners at a higher
rate.
Coakley said that a graduated income tax system could be a "last
resort" to raise revenues in her administration.
The attorney general walked back those comments after the debate, as
well as at event the following morning in Boston.
"Let me be clear because I want to make sure everybody saw and heard
the same debate that I was in last night. I have said I hope taxes
go down. I support the income tax as our economy improves and I
support that income tax going down," said Coakley.
Coakley said she was merely looking at the graduated income tax as a
possibility in the future.
"I did not say we have to do this," said Coakley.
Coakley repeatedly told reporters after a campaign event on
Wednesday that she was not interested in raising taxes, though when
asked if there were any taxes she would cut she could not give a
specific answer. Coakley did say she hopes the economy improves so
the income tax continues its rollback to five percent.
Any move to implement a graduated income tax system in Massachusetts
would require an amendment to the state constitution, something that
could occupy extensive political capital and time for the next
governor.
Local taxpayer advocates were critical of Coakley's simple openness
to the graduated income tax during interviews this week.
"If you're trying to create jobs it doesn't make sense to give
opened-ended authority to the legislature to raise taxes on higher
income individuals," said Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation
President Michael Widmer.
Widmer and MTF have been longtime opponents of the graduated income
tax system.
Widmer told the Tax Fairness Commission in February that any change
to the state's income tax structure that would tax high income
individuals at a higher rate would be hurt the state's economy.
"Amending the states constitution and adding to the tax burden of
middle and higher income taxpayers, including businesses that pay
personal income taxes, would pose one more disincentive to job
creation in the state," said Widmer while testifying before the
commission.
Barbara Anderson of Citizens for Limited Taxation agreed with Widmer,
one of her longtime ideological sparring partners.
"Since our state constitution allows only a flat rate income tax,
those who want a graduated income tax must place this proposal on
the statewide ballot for a constitutional change by voters. This
change would take at least four years. So far, voters have said 'no'
five times. So, Coakley using the grad tax as a possible funding
mechanism for her new programs is just rhetoric. She doesn't know
what else to say when asked about new taxes," said Anderson.
In 1994 Anderson was the face of the successful effort that beat
back the last attempt to institute a state graduated income tax.
Anderson, along with allies from Massachusetts High Tech Council and
the MTF representing the Boston business community, defeated what
was then known as Question 6 by more than 800,000 votes.
State House News Service
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Coakley hedges exploration of income tax change
By Andy Metzger
Less than 24 hours after volunteering that she is exploring ways to
move Massachusetts from a flat to a graduated income tax structure,
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley emphasized that
she hopes taxes will go down in Massachusetts if she's elected
governor.
The attorney general, who is tied in polls with Republican Charlie
Baker, said in a one-on-one debate at WGBH Tuesday night that, "We
are exploring ways to do a more graduated income tax."
Coakley is running on an investment agenda and has expressed hope
that natural growth in tax revenues and savings within the state
budget will pay for her spending proposals, with tax increases a
"last resort." She mentioned a graduated income tax during the
debate when pressed by moderator Jim Braude, a former left-leaning
tax activist, on which tax she would look to if she needed to
generate revenues.
On a visit Wednesday morning to the New England Center for Homeless
Veterans, where she outlined a compassionate government that would
offer help to those in need, Coakley tried to explain her intentions
around the income tax, which is at a flat rate of 5.2 percent and
could drop down to 5 percent over the next four years if the economy
grows fast enough.
"Let me be clear because I want to make sure everybody saw and heard
the same debate that I was in last night. I have said I hope taxes
go down," Coakley began, clarifying that she said if she needed to
raise taxes she would aim to protect those on the lower rungs of the
income bracket. She said, "I did not say we were going to do this."
If the state needed new revenues, Coakley said during the debate,
she backs tax increases on the top 2 percent income earners in
Massachusetts.
There has been little support on Beacon Hill in recent years for a
graduated income tax structure under which lower income workers
would pay at a lower rate, with rates gradually rising and the
highest income individuals paying the highest rate. The Legislature
this session did not give serious consideration to a sweeping $2
billion plan by Gov. Patrick to raise new tax revenues while
accomplishing some of the goals of a graduated income tax without
passing a constitutional amendment.
Massachusetts voters over the years, most recently in 1994, have
consistently rejected constitutional amendments calling for a
graduated income tax. Democratic leaders in recent years have been
reluctant to go down that path again, even though Gov. Deval Patrick
and others have expressed interest, if not outright support, for the
concept as a way to improve the "fairness" of the tax code, which
they say regressively hits lower-income earners disproportionately
compared to high wage earners.
Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, a proponent of the graduated income tax, is
poised to be elected the next Senate president in January. "I will
be discussing it with my colleagues," Rosenberg told the News
Service in March after a special Tax Fairness Commission, co-chaired
by Rep. Jay Kaufman and Sen. Michael Rodrigues, included the
graduated income tax among its recommendations.
"I said I'm not going to raise taxes and I meant it," Baker told
reporters Wednesday afternoon after emerging from a meeting with
mayors around the state on Beacon Hill. Baker described the
graduated income tax as "something the voters of Massachusetts have
rejected soundly at the ballot box several times over the course of
the past 20 or 30 years."
Baker was meeting with members of the Massachusetts Municipal
Association to hear their concerns and talk about his ideas,
according to an aide.
Pressed by Braude in an earlier primary election debate on NECN,
Coakley this year said she would "potentially" be in favor of a
constitutional amendment that would allow for a graduated tax
structure while also suggesting "there are probably easier ways to
do it." Asked if she was unsure at the early September debate,
Coakley said, "Unsure, absolutely, because I am going to think about
it."
During the debate, Baker made the case that he cares about people,
not just numbers.
A former Cabinet secretary in the Weld and Cellucci administrations,
Baker said "the single biggest thing that drives me up the wall" is
the notion that "I care about numbers and I don't care about
people."
Asked Wednesday whether Baker cares about numbers not people,
Coakley said, "That's what I believe."
Independents Evan Falchuk, Jeff McCormick and Scott Lively have
remained in the low single digits in polls while Coakley and Baker
have been steadily neck and neck, hovering around 41 points apiece.
The Coakley camp seized on Baker for leaving open the possibility of
raising fees in the debate, likening him to former Gov. Mitt Romney.
Coakley also raised questions about the Baker's ability to balance
the state's books and afford tax cuts he has outlined on the
campaign trail.
"The attorney general has stood idly by for the past seven years as
taxes on gas, sales, cable TV and a host of other services -
property taxes, fees, registry fees, local fees - have gone up
across the Commonwealth," Baker said.
Meeting with staff and people serviced by the shelter, Coakley
praised the work, talked about the need for veterans to speak up
when they need help and gave out "homework" for wish lists she can
consider if elected.
At a debate in Springfield in September Coakley critiqued Baker,
saying unlike him she wouldn't need to meet with mayors to hear
their priorities because she has already heard them.
"I'll give you some homework," Coakley said at multiple stops
throughout the tour Wednesday.
Baker said he would put his record on helping reduce homelessness up
against Coakley's.
"It's unfortunate that as we sit here today, there's been so little
action on this," Baker said. "I think in many cases actions speak
louder than words, and I'm proud of the work we did in the 1990s to
serve homeless families, homeless individuals with mental illness,
and it was recognized by the national homeless advocacy
organizations as some of the best work in the country."
The shelter Coakley visited has a separate facility with 10 beds
where people can show up intoxicated, a computer classroom and a
housing center where listings on a bulletin board advertised single
bedrooms in Brighton, Woburn and Haverhill renting for $1,275, $995
and $1,250 per month.
"This takes care of the roof over my head and the food in my stomach
so now I can worry about the other problems," said Paul Younie, an
Air Force veteran who said he will soon be moving into an apartment
in Weymouth.
"We all need help in life. We all need support," said Coakley. Bruce
Brown, an Army National Guard veteran who prefers the term
"displaced" to "homeless" told Coakley, "Hopefully you're going to
win."
NECHV President Andrew McCawley, a Navy veteran, led Coakley on a
tour around the center, which she said was her second in the last
year.
John DeCoste told the News Service he spent three years living on
the street after a lawsuit torpedoed his Malden recycling business.
DeCoste, who said he served in the Army in the 1980s, had been
living in North Reading and was brought to the shelter by Somerville
police. Saying he had never had problems with drugs or alcohol,
DeCoste told the News Service, "I didn't know anything about
shelters and I never asked my family for help."
As Coakley passed by, DeCoste told her his nephew works for her, and
Coakley appeared to recognize the name. She said, "Yep. Yep. We have
a great office," before moving on.
Michael Norton contributed reporting
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NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this
material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes
only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
Citizens for Limited Taxation ▪
PO Box 1147 ▪ Marblehead, MA 01945
▪ 508-915-3665
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